Loose-leaf book construction



June 15, 1943. M. VERNON LOOSE LEAF BOOK CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 26, 1942 e a I x T 1 W A a 4L T5 7 /7 f/ M I I !\\\u////: aw]! n u a an)" wk A4 ERA) )/MM INVENTOR B? r 6 I June 15, 1943. VERNQN I 2,322,180

LOOSE LEAF BOOK CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 26, 1 942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 A/II/bZ ry in 4M 6 INVENTOR 62 BYE; NEY

Patenteo! June 15, 1943 UNITED STATES LOOSE-LEAF BOOK CONSTRUCTION Murray Vernon, New York, N. Y., assignor to S. E. & M. Vernon Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 26, 1942, Serial No. 470,291

12 Glaims.

This invention relates generally to loose-leaf binders and more particularly to loose-leaf binder constructions which while possessing the desired property of permitting pages to be inserted, With- Figure 11 is a rear elevational view of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a developed plan view of the retainer member.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary end elevational view drawn, or changed in position, are easily and of Fig. 10. economically fabricated of non-critical materials. Figure 14 is fragmentary sectional view as seen Among the principal objects of the present infrom the plane I l-l4 on Figure 10. ventio-n lies the provision of loose-leaf note book Figure 15 is a view taken similarly to Figure 14 construction in which, if desired, no metal parts but shows the parts in an altered position. A need be used. Figure 16 is a view taken similarly to Figure 14 Another object herein lies in the provision of but shows the parts in a further altered position. structure of the class described in which the rings Turnin W o t e fi t e bo m nt of t e may be independently operated by a simple invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 8, inclusive, manual motion, either to an open position t device generally indicated y numeral 20 (when sheets may be inserted or withdrawn) or udes a fro t Cover a real Cover a rear to a closed position in which, barring rupture member 23, a front member 24 and rings 25, only of the sheets themselves, the sheets are securely one f W ich s Shown- The front member 24 retained in. position within th bo k, and the rear member 23 as integrated constitute -A still further object of the present invention the support element generally indicated y I111- lies in the provision of a loose-leaf notebook of meral the ring binder type of construction in which a The ve s 2| d 2 and the rear member 23 kind of snap action is obtained without the use y be of y Suitable n r i n w ll kn wn of springs as such. in the art such as stiff cardboard covered by cloth, A feature of the invention lies in the simple artificial leather, and so forth. The covers 2| low cost manufacture thereof so that the same 25 nd 22 are thus hingedly C e ted to the rear may have a consequent wide sale and distribumember 23 along the hinged portions 27 nd tion. While in connection with both embodiments of These object and th id t l d d the invention the device is illustrated as-having advantages will more fully appear in the progress tWO rings it W be vi s to those Skilled in the of this disclosure and be pointed out i th apart to which the present invention relates that pended claims. any desired number of rings may be used in any In the drawings similar reference characters desired ihterspacingdesignate corresponding parts throughout the The real member 23 is preferably Slightly several vie s of each embodiment, curved to produce a convex outer surface 29 and Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a first ema concave inner or forward surface so. The debodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of Figure l as seen from the plane 22 on Figure 1. this view the bottom ring has been removed.

Figure 3 is an elevational view partly in section as seen from the left of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the front member of the support element as seen from the plane ifl on Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the front member of the support element as seen from the plane 55 on Figure 2.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view as seen from the plane 6-6 on Figure 2.

Figure 7 is view taken generally similarly to Figure 6 but shows the parts in an altered position thereof.

Figure 8 is a view taken generally similarly to Figure 7 but shows the parts in a further altered position thereof,

Figure 9 is a View in perspective of a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 10 is an enlarged sectional View as seen from the plane Ill-4D on Figure 9. The lower ring and ring retainer member have been removed.

gree of concavity of the surface 30 preferably substantially conforms to the convexity of the rear or inner surface 31 of the front member 24. The front member 24 is fabricated of any suitable material such as a strip of hard wood and the front or normally exposed surface thereof, indicated by numeral 32 is preferably of convex configuration. The front member 24 is preferably not as long as the rear member 23. I

The front member 24 is provided with a plurality of channels 33, as many channels as there are rings, and this channel is best seen in Figures 2, 3 and 5. The channels 33have side walls 3d and 35, a curved top Wall 36 and a. curved bottom Wall 31. The bottom Wall 3? is in fact formed by the surface 30.

The front member 26 and the rear member are fixedly secured. together preferably at thetime the device 28 is fabricated by any suitable means such as for example the rivets 38 which engage suitable aligned orifices ll] and M in the rear member 23 and the front member 24 respectively.

The rings 25 are substantially identical and therefore a description of one will suffice for all. A ring 25 includes a sheet carrying portion 42 and a retainer portion 43. The sheet carrying portion 42 has a greater curvature than the retainer portion. Although the retainer portion is shown as being substantially straight, as presently understood the device is operable so long as the curvature of the sheet carrying portion is greater than that of the retainer portion. The ends of the sheet carrying portion 42 run into the adjoining ends of the retainer portions at the bends 44 and 45. These bends at the outer portions thereof act as projections or protuberances. The retainer portion 43 is preferably split transversely and medially to form the ring terminals 46 and 41. The ring itself is preferably composed of a resilient material as for example cellulose acetate. Obviously the ring may be composed of other materials such as thermoplastic or thermosetting plastics which are well known. The ring may be molded in the shape shown or it may be formed up under heat and pressure in suitable dies and/or jigs. The terminals 46 and 41 are preferably slightly rounded and the ring is so constructed that when in an unstressed condition the terminals 45 and 41 are in substantial contact.

Since the rings are composed of resilient material the ends thereof may be spread so that they may be inserted within the entrances to the channels 33. Another method of assembly contemplates slipping the rings over the end of the front member 24 and seating the rings in the channels 33 before the front member 24 and the rear member 23 are secured together.

Operation of first embodiment As presently understood the operation of the device 20 is substantially as follows. The rings are preferably constructed so that at any point they are of substantially uniform cross section. The channel 33 preferably tapers slightly outwardly toward the entrances thereto. At its most constricted portion however, the channel preferably has an effective cross section slightly greater than or substantially equal to the effective cross section of the ring. If the rings were completely circular they could be slidably moved continuously through the channels. In th present construction however, the bends 44 and 45 when viewed from a radial plane passing therethrough are outwardly offset, thus increasing total effective cross section of the ring when taken together with adjacent parts of the sheet carrying and retainer portions.

Assuming the ring 25 to be in the position shown in Figures 2 and 6, the indicator 48 shows the ring to be in the centered or closed position thereof. In this position the exposed part of the ring carrying portion is continuous and obviously orificed sheets such as the sheet 55 cannot be removed without damaging the sheet. Movement of the ring 25 either clockwise or counterclockwise is inhibited by the deformity in the ring produced by the bends 44 and 45 as previously described. In order for such clockwise or counterclockwise movement to occur the bends 44 and 45 must move toward the more constrictedportion of the channel 33.

The ring 25 may be rotated to the open position thereof shown in Figure 8 by exerting some pressure which will cause the bends 44 or 45 to flex slightly toward a more nearly rectilinear condition thereof. Depending upon the particular direction of rotation after a high spot or dead center position is reached a certain snapping action is felt and from that point on the sheet carrying portion 42 may be freely rotated through the channel 33. When the ring is in the position indicated by the full lines on Figure 8 it becomes a relatively simple matter to spread the terminals 46 and 4'! to the dot-dash position at which sheet of paper 50 may have the orifice 49 thereof disengaged from the retainer portion 43.

The rotation of the ring from the closed to the open position thereof may be facilitated by laterally moving the ring in the direction of the arrow A on Figure '7 and then rotating the ring counter-clockwise in the direction of the arrow B. This movement has the effect of moving the inside portion of the bend 44 nearer to the most constricted portion of the channel 33 thus requiring less flexure of the bend 44. Obviously these motions are reversed where it is desired to turn the ring in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 7.

After the desired sheets have been removed or replaced the reversal of the position of the ring 25 from that shown in Figure 8 to that shown in Figure 6 requires a mere reversal of the previously described steps.

Turning now to the second embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 9 to 16 of the accompanying drawings, for the purpose of avoid ing needless repetition parts corresponding to those of the first embodiment are given the same reference characters with the addition of a sin gle prime mark.

The ring 25' is of substantially identical construction with that of the ring 25 and requires therefore no particular elucidation. The second embodiment of the invention differs from the first embodiment principally in the manner in which the channel 33 is fabricated.

As seen in Figure 12 the channel 33 is formed by looping a flat strip (preferably composed of f1- ber) having a central portion 60 and a pair of enlarged heads GI and G2 forwardly through a suitably positioned orifice 63. The central portion 60 bows forwardly to form the top wall and side walls 34' and 35. The ends of the orifice 63 serve as the bottom wall 31' of the channel 33.

The distance between the edges 64 and 65 is preferably substantially equal to the distance between the ends 66 and B7 of the orifice 63, and this distance is preferably substantially equal to the distance between the bends 44 and The distance between the nearest edges of the heads GI and 62 is preferably such that when the strip is in operative position the central portion 60 snugly embraces the retainer portion 43'.

Operation of second embodiment Since the orifice 63 provides no support for the portions 58 and 69 (see Figure 11) of the retainer portion 43', the relatively most constricted portions of the channel 33 exist at the entrances thereto. Thus in the closed position thereof the ring appears as in Figure 14. Moving the ring laterally in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 15 moves the projection of the bend 44 beyond the end edge 56, so that the ring may be easily rotated in the direction of the arrow B on Figure 15. To rotate the ring in a clockwise direction requires only a reversal of the above described steps. When the ring is rotated to the open position thereof as seen in Figure 16 the terminals 45 and 41 may be pulled apart in the direction of the arrows C for inserting or removing the perforated portion 49 of the sheet 50'.

In both of the heretofore described embodiments resiliency or distortion of certain of the parts is desirable for convenient operation. While the resiliency of the ring permits proper operation a slightly easier operation is obtained when other parts are also slightly resilient, principally the rear member 23 or 23. This resiliency need be of relatively low order and is possessed by stiff grade of cardboard. Operation of the device may thus be obtained satisfactorily with a resilient ring and/or a resilient or distortable channel structure. It is desirable that those portions in particular upon which the bends 44 and. 45 or 44' and 45' rub, be resiliently distortable.

It may thus be seen that I have provided novel and useful loose-leaf notebook binder constructions which are efficient in use and economical in manufacture.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A loose-leaf book binder construction for use with a plurality of orificed sheets, comprising: a ring including a sheet carrying portion and a retainer portion which is discontinuous, the sheet carrying portion being of greater circumferential curvature than the retainer portion; said ring having a bend between one end of the sheet carrying portion and the adjoining end of the retainer portion; said ring being in the form of an irregularly shaped rod of substantially uniform crosssection; and a support element having a channel; said ring being slidably disposed in said channel; said channel having a minimum efiective crosssectional size substantially equal to the crosssectional size of the said rod, said channel having a maximum effective cross-sectional size sufficient to allow passage therethrough of said bend accompanied by a predetermined amount of friction.

2. In a loose-leaf book binder for use with a plurality of orificed sheets: a binder ring including a sheet carrying portion and a transversely split retainer portion; said sheet carrying portion being of greater curvature than said retainer portion; and a support element having a channel within which the binder ring is frictionally slidable; said ring being movable to Closed position when the retainer portion is disposed within said channel and an Open position when the retainer portion is exposed.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 in which the ring is composed of resilient material.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2 in which the ring is resilient and has two terminals located at the split in the retainer portion thereof, said terminals being in substantial contact when the ring is in an unstressed condition.

5. A loose leaf book for use with orificed sheets, comprising: a binder ring including a sheet carrying portion and a retainer portion which is discontinuous, the sheet carrying portion being of greater curvature than said retainer portion; and a support element having a channel within which the binder ring is frictionally slidable; said ring being movable to a closed position when the retainer portion is disposed within said channel and an open position when the retainer portion is exposed.

6. In a loose leaf binder construction for use with a plurality of orificed sheets; a binder ring including a sheet carrying portion and a discontinuous retainer portion; said sheet carrying portion being of greater curvature than said retainer portion; and a support element having a channel within which the binder ring is frictionally slidable, said channel being of a length sufiicient to overlie said retainer portion; said ring being movable to a closed position when the retainer portion is disposed within said channel and in an open position when the retainer portion is exposed.

'7. A loose leaf binder construction for use with a plurality of orificed sheets, comprising: a ring including a resilient sheet carrying portion and a retainer portion which is discontinuous, the sheet carrying portion being of greater circumferential curvature than the retainer portion; said ring having a pair of bends disposed between the ends of the sheet carrying portion and the retainer portion; a support element having a channel within which said ring is slidably movable; said bends when moving through said channel causing greater friction than said sheet carrying portion.

8. A loose leaf binder construction for use with a plurality of orificed sheets, comprising: a resilient ring including a sheet carrying portion and a discontinuous retainer portion, said ring having means forming a projection thereon, said projection being disposed between one end of the sheet carrying portion and one end of the retainer portion; and a support element having a channel within which the ring is movably mounted, the narrowest effective cross sectional size of said channel being sufficient to allow movement of said sheet carrying portion therethrough and to frictionally inhibit movement of said projection therethrough, pressure upon said projection by said channel causing fiexure of said ring.

9. A loose leaf binder construction for use with a plurality of orificed sheets comprising: a ring including a sheet carrying portion and a discontinuous retainer portion; a pair of projections on said ring at the ends of the retainer portion; a support element having a channel of varying effective cross section, the narrowest portion of which is located inwardly of the ends thereof and is sufficient in size to allow movement of said sheet carrying portion therethrough and to allow frictional movement of said projections therethrough.

10. A loose leaf binder construction for use with a plurality of orificed sheets comprising: a ring including a sheet carrying portion and a discontinuous retainer portion; a support element having a channel of varying effective cross section, the narrowest portions of which are located substantially at the ends thereof and are sufficient in size to allow movement of said sheet carrying portion therethrough and to allow frictional movement of said projections therethrough.

11. A device as claimed in claim 8 in which a portion of the channel is elastic.

12. A loose leaf binder construction for use with a plurality of orificed sheets, comprising: a ring including a sheet carrying portion and a discontinuous retainer portion; said ring having means forming a projection thereon disposed between one end of the sheet carrying portion and one end of the retainer portion, and a support element having a channel a portion of which is elastic, within which channel the ring is movably mounted, the narrowest efiective cross sectional size of said channel being sufficient to allow movement of said sheet carrying portion therethrough and to frictionally inhibit movement of said projection therethrough, pressure upon said projection by said channel causing flexure of said channel.

,MURRAY VERNON. 

